“In downtown Detroit, start-ups and luxury retailers are opening up and new office buildings are being built as the city works to recover from its deep economic problems. Six miles to the north, in the neighborhood of Hope Village, residents like Eric Hill are trying to participate in that progress but are running into hurdles. His difficulties were apparent on a recent Tuesday when he crowded into the public library to use the computers to look for a new job. With no Internet service at home or on his mobile phone, Mr. Hill had few options to search work listings or file online job applications after losing his stocking job at a pharmacy five months ago.” (via The New York Times)

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May 22, 2016Comments Off on Unemployed Detroit Residents Are Trapped by a Digital DivideDetroit, Digital Divide

“If you’re reading this column, then you know how much I love reading and books and libraries — as much as I now love gadgets and iPhones and computers. So it’s great news that the Detroit Public Library, which the economy pummeled into closing two branches in the last three years, is expanding services in one. On Thursday, officials will cut the ribbon in front of the historic Frederick Douglass library to celebrate the new technology center inside. (via Free Press)

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February 23, 2015Comments Off on Detroit’s Frederick Douglass Library to get new technologyDetroit

“Everything about a trip to the Main Branch of the Detroit Public Library (DPL) leaves a lasting impression — from the grand staircase of the building’s east wing to the murals and stained glass in Adam Strom Hall to the amazing collection of books and periodicals. Every Detroiter needs to visit this remarkable institution, which currently is celebrating its sesquicentennial. Now, however, many of the wonders of the DPL are available to you from the comforts of your own home. In October, a years-long digitization project culminated in the launch of the Digital Collections at the Detroit Public Library. Some of the library’s rarest, most intriguing documents and photos now can be accessed through the web. According to a recent newsletter from the library, “These online collections feature more than 67,000 images that have been digitized and cataloged for public use.” (via Model D Media.

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“Access to parts of the Detroit Library’s main branch was limited Friday because of what library personnel said were preparations for the filming of a scene for a major movie production. The 149-year-old library’s ornate third floor will be the site of more Detroit filming for “Batman v Superman,” security guards told patrons as they turned them away from elevators and staircases Friday.” (via MLive.com)

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August 11, 2014Comments Off on Detroit library could be site of another Batman v Superman shootBatman, Detroit

“Detroit is famous for its music, from the Motown hits of the 1960s to the cutting-edge punk of Iggy Pop to the rap of Eminem. Little known, though, is that Michigan was also fertile ground for folk music, brought to the region by immigrants in the early 20th century and played in the logging camps, mines and factory towns where they worked. Legendary folklorist Alan Lomax discovered the music in 1938 when he visited the Midwest on his famous 10-year cross-country trek to document American folk music for the Library of Congress. A trove of his Michigan recordings is now being publicly released for the first time by the library, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of Lomax’s trip. The release is causing a stir among folk music fanciers and history buffs.” (via The Associated Press)

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September 23, 2013Comments Off on TROVE OF MICH. FOLK MUSIC UNEARTHED IN ARCHIVEDetroit, Folk Music, LOC